March 11, 2022
The daily life of a fleet manager is tough. These professionals spend their days essentially monitoring the business to prevent any little thing that might case a fire drill. What makes this role especially complex is that often what, and who, they are monitoring is out of sight. Being responsible for an entire fleet of vehicles while also being at the mercy of those operating them can be stressful. Thorough and efficient training is a surefire way to eliminate stress as much as possible and also set your road team up for success so that everyone can be working together to move towards the same goals.
Compliance is such a sensitive issue to navigate. While it can take little to nothing to fall out of compliance, recovering from an infraction can be substantially more complicated. This can also result in a loss of profits from having to either sideline a vehicle, a driver, or even worse, your entire operation. Hours of service rules are additionally important to focus on because you do not want to be putting your staff, or those they share the road with, in danger.
You will of course find that navigating the rules can be a challenge in terms of training when you, yourself, do not understand them inside and out. Understand that this does not have to do with simply how many hours in a day one driver works. Driver limits, sleeper berth rules, and rest breaks all factor into the larger scope. You can stay up to date with the latest rules and learn more about how an electronica logging device (ELD) can help your fleet stay compliant. Using this technology as a support when training is essential because you are going to be able to collect real time, and accurate, analytics, removed from the potential of human error.
Many that seek out professions that require them to be alone in a car all day every day, did so intentionally. However, that does not mean that management should cease any and all engagement with their road team. Successful managers know that they need to set a precedent during training that shows their staff that although they do not work in close physical proximity with one another, employee morale is still high on their list of priorities.
You can use the fact that these drivers work alone to your advantage. Perhaps offer some self-improvement challenges around the first of the year when everyone has resolutions and self-betterment on their mind. Or instead of having annual reviews, check in more often and make it a priority to get face to face time with your drivers, and also bring them together in one space so they can engage with one another, something they certainly are not able to do during a traditional work day.
Safety must be top of mind for both managers and drivers, with basically no exceptions. It is not a secret that this can be one of the more dangerous industries to work in which is exactly why successful managers know that instead of developing a training program for new hires and stopping there, training should be ongoing in this specific area. Safety training might look like, practicing the rules of the road, becoming familiar with basic car maintenance tips, or even working scheduling around someone’s home life so they can punch in every day as fresh as possible. However you decide to design it, the safety portion of your training program has to show in no uncertain terms that this is a priority.
